Family Ties
by UneventfulWaffle
Summary: A short story about Nick and Judy adopting kids.


"Nick! Come on we can't be late!" Shouted Judy.

"I'm coming!" garbled Nick through his toothbrush, rushing to the door with coat in hand.

Nick swung open the front door, ushering Judy out of the house.

"Ladies first." said Nick suavely, grinning.

"Oh gee, thanks." said Judy flatly, clearly not impressed by the gesture.

"Where are we headed?" Asked Nick.

"Rainforest District, I've already got the address on my phone." said Judy

"this is gonna be such a horrible first impression, The first time we're meeting them and we're not even on time." Said Judy.

"I mean seriously, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and they're gonna think we don't even have the decency to show up on time!" Said Judy, working herself closely to tears.

Nick himself was getting nervous, though Judy would never have noticed, she was far too busy with her own thoughts to really pay attention.

"Listen you're overthinking things here, I'm sure they'll understand, worse comes to worst we tell 'em we got lost or stuck in traffic, and think about if this was you, I'm sure you wouldn't care if someone showed up a little later than expected, Right?"

Nick's words were very reassuring for both Judy and himself.

"I guess you're right, but I just wanted things to go right, I wanted everything to be perfect for our first time meeting them"

Nick could see that Judy had calmed down a bit, but he could still see the disappointment and sorrow in her eyes.

"I can't think of one thing in this world that's perfect, myself excluded of course." Said Nick confidently.

"and even through all of that what we have has turned out okay, I might even go as far as to say things have turned out great." Said Nick with a more relaxed tone.

Nick could see that his Joking around had already made Judy feel far better.

"I know, I know, you're right... _for once_." Said Judy under her breath.

"oh har har, had to get that one out of your system huh?" Said Nick sarcastically.

"Well I can't just let remark that go unpunished now can I?" Said Judy, quite proud of her comment.

"Well, we have some very lovely people to meet, who have some very lovely _little_ people to meet, and it looks like we should be there in no time. **"** Said Nick.

Out of all the districts in Zootopia The Rainforest District had to be one of Judy's favorites to visit, the smell of the rain lingering in the air, the diversity of all of the different plants and trees, the way the sunlight would cut through all of it.

But most importantly to her, this is when things felt like they started to _change_ between her and Nick, this is where he had finally opened up to her as a friend, revealing things he had never shared with anyone, and in that moment of need he had given her hope and confidence, as she did for him.

"Alright this is the place, Riverside Drive, unit A113." Said Judy.

"Okay then, let's head inside, as nice as it is out here it'll take me all day to dry off."

The building wasn't very opulent, the parking lot was cracked and worn, the paint was covered in dirt and chipping, and what was once a flowerbed was now full of weeds.

"Carrots, are you sure this is the right place? It seems a bit... murderey here." Said Nick apprehensively.

"Oh Nick stop that, in case you don't remember our first place wasn't exactly the height of luxury either." Judy reprimanded.

The inside wasn't much of an improvement either, but at least it wasn't wet.

"It should be down here on the left." Said Judy, looking down at her phone.

"this is it, this is the place, A113." Said Judy, looking at the door.

Nick exhaled sharply before speaking.

"you ready to do this?" Asked Nick.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Said Judy.

Nick knocked on the door, the two heard shuffling and speaking inside.

"Oh! That must be them!"

"Honey, the snacks! The snacks!"

The door swung open in front of Nick and Judy with a man standing in front of them.

"Hello! Come in, Come in, Have a seat!"

The man ushered them into their home, various nick knacks and toys littered the shelves and counter tops of the small apartment.

"Oh, thank you!" Said Judy.

"I'm Leo and this is my lovely wife Vivian! It's so nice to finally meet the two of you!"

"Hi, nice to meet you! I'm Judy!"

"Nick, how's it goin'?"

"Hi! After all this time it's so great to meet you guys in person! we've got some snacks for the two of you if you'd like!" Said Vivian.

On the coffee table sat various fruits, vegetables, and crackers.

"I've gotta say, It's so much cozier in here than it seemed it would be from the outside." Said Judy.

"Oh well thank you! We've certainly tried to make it homey for the children, things used to be better off but hey, life happens!" Said Vivian.

"Used to be better off?" asked Nick.

"Oh yes, we used to have this nice little place down in the savanna, but our land lady ended up asking us to leave what with all of the attacks from that Night Howler stuff, I think she was just afraid of having and predators as her tenants at that point." Said Leo.

Leo was an ocelot while Vivian was an Asian Palm Civet.

"Yeah, we weren't the only ones who found the letter that day, looking back on it I'm sure I could understand how she felt, I just wish things had been different, as you could probably tell this isn't the best area to look after the kids, this was just the only place we could find within our price range after we had to leave." Said Vivian.

"But now that the both of you are here we won't be worrying about the kids anymore!" Vivian put on a smile but it was quite clear she and Leo were saddened by everything they had just spoken about.

Judy's heart sank, she felt quite guilty about what she just heard, and couldn't help but blame herself for everything that had happened to them.

"Oh! And we have some blueberries here, I remember you said they were Nick's favorite!" Said Leo to Judy trying to change the subject.

"Well you certainly remembered right." Said Nick excitedly with a smile.

"Anyway, the two of you came here for the kids not a chit chat!" Said Leo brightly.

"Oh my yes! They're down here in the nursery, please, follow me." Said Vivian leading down the hall.

"Oh gosh, I'm so nervous." Said Judy.

"Just keep in mind they can't even talk yet Carrots." Nick told Judy.

Vivian slowly peeked in through the door.

"We're in luck, it looks like they've just woken up from their nap." Said Vivian.

Nick and Judy walked into the doorway and froze in place.

"Oh my god, they're even more perfect in real life." Said Judy in wonder.

Nick was completely speechless at the sight of the children.

There they were, A boy and a girl, _a rabbit and a fox,_ living together in the same household, the odds that they would be together, the odds that Nick and Judy would find them, that they would be the same age and everything.

"They sure are wonderful aren't they?" Said Leo.

"They're beautiful." Said Nick.

"Can... Can I hold them?" Asked Nick timidly.

"Go on! well of course you can! That is what you're here for after all!" Said Vivian.

Nick was completely overwhelmed with emotions as he picked up the children, he felt overjoyed, anxious, excited, and proud all at the same time, thing's just felt _right._

he had never felt this way before, Sure he'd held Judy's sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews before during visits but this was completely different, this didn't feel like he was holding someone else's kids, they felt like his own, and they were about to be.

"Judy, I am never putting these children down." Said Nick, unable to take his eyes away from them.

"well you're gonna have to so I can hold them too, Also when we sign adoption papers." Said Judy.

"Very valid point." Said Nick.

"let's go and get everything in order then." Said Leo.

Nick and Judy headed back to their car, followed closely by Leo and Vivian.

"So we'll meet you guys as city hall?" Asked Judy.

"Sounds good, We'll just be a bit before we take off." Responded Vivian.

Nick and Judy entered their vehicle set off on their way to city hall.

"I can't believe this is finally, _really_ happening." Said Judy.

"none of it feels like real life yet, It feels like I'm just gonna wake up any second, is that normal? That's normal right? Well either way it's been a long time coming, that's for sure." Said Nick.

"don't get me wrong, I'm completely excited about the kids and _all_ of this, But part of me feels wrong in all of this, They lost their home which is _my fault_ , and now it partly feels like I'm taking away their children too." Said Judy despondently.

"Judy, come on, you can't look at it like that, if they wanted the kids they could have just as easily adopted them, as for their apartment they said life happens and things move on, and they seemed happy enough to me." Said Nick.

Judy sighed.

"I guess you're right, I'm probably just overthinking things again." Said Judy.

"Alright, now we're gonna head down to city hall and we're going to adopt _our_ kids, how does that sound?" Asked nick enthusiastically.

"That sounds fantastic." Said Judy with a smile.

About two and a half hours later Nick and Judy had now finally arrived at city hall, Leo and Vivian pulled up shortly thereafter.

Nick and Judy exited their Vehicle and began to approach Leo and Vivian when Leo got out looking upset.

He started making his way over to the passenger side of the car, he opened the door, bent down and began speaking to Vivian.

As Nick and Judy walked closer they could hear the faint sound of Vivian crying.

"Hey, what's going on?" Asked Judy Softly.

"it- it's..." Said Vivian attempting to but incapable of holding back her tears.

"It's the kids." Continued Leo.

"We haven't been looking after them for all that long but we've grown quite attached we're in much of the same boat you guys are, And we've just been having some troubles letting go and saying our goodbyes." Said Leo.

Judy shot Nick a look that screamed 'I told you so'.

"That's okay, whenever you're ready to head inside we'll head inside, until then it can wait." said Judy.

"Thank you, but we should only be a moment." Said Leo.

"Well I'm gonna head inside and see if I can pick us up a spot in line and grab some paperwork, I'll text you once we're up." Said Nick.

"Okay, Thanks Nick, We'll see you inside." Said Judy.

About fifteen minutes had passed before Vivian had calmed down and was ready to go inside, Just in time for Judy to receive a text from Nick.

"Looks like we're next in line, you guys ready?" Said Judy.

"You guys go ahead, take the kids, I'll get your car set up for you." Said Leo.

"Alright, thank you." Said Judy.

Judy and Vivian headed inside to meet up with Nick, when they entered Nick waved them down from across the lobby.

"It feels good to be back in the city, the Rainforest is great but with the canopy I can't remember the last time I saw a blue sky, and for once my fur isn't even wet." Said Vivian as they made their way over to Nick.

"hey you guys, where's Leo?" Asked Nick.

"He's outside setting up the car seats for us right now." Said Judy.

"Alright cool, here are our papers, we're all gonna need to sign these." Said Nick.

"How did you manage to get through the line so fast? I thought we'd be here all day." Said Judy.

"Oh that? I know a guy, turns out helping the city has some perks." Said Nick.

"Well that's convenient." Said Judy.

"Hey Judy you should go and grab Leo so we can get this up to the desk." Said Nick.

"On it." Said Judy.

Judy set off towards the car with paperwork in hand.

"So... Did you guys have any names in mind?" Asked Vivian.

"We've got everything but the girl's middle name." Said Nick.

"I know it's not my decision, But if you're open to suggestion I think Willow would be a nice middle name for her, Back when we were here in the city, there was this one park Leo and I would take the kids to, and it had this great big willow tree right in the middle, Every time we would go she just adored it.

Said Vivian.

"Hmm..." mumbled Nick.

"I know it's probably stupid but-" Said Vivian.

"It's fantastic, I know Judy is gonna love it, thank you Vivian." Said Nick.

"Speak of the devil." Said Vivian.

Walking toward them in the distance were Leo and Judy, Judy was holding up the papers giving a thumbs up.

"All right, Everything is in order now let's go and hand it all in." Said Judy."

"Actually we need might to make a slight adjustment." Said Nick.

"Oh?" Said Judy looking puzzled.

"I think we've got a certain young lady's middle name, Willow." Said Nick.

Leo immediately cracked a smile.

"It's beautiful! Did you just come up with it?" Asked Judy.

"Actually, Vivian suggested it to me." Said Nick.

"Oh thank you Vivian, it's wonderful I love it!" Said Judy hugging Vivian.

"No problem." Said Vivian.

The group walked up to the desk hand in their papers.

"alright, papers please." said the man at the desk.

"Here you so." Said Nick.

"Congratulations Nicholas P. Wilde, and Judith L. Hopps, you are now the proud parents of two new children." Said the man at the desk.

"Thanks a bunch Matt, I owe you!" Said Nick

"Yes you do Nick, Yes you do." Said Matt.

"Alright, I have a surprise for everyone now, Leo, Vivian, Either of you two religious?" Said Nick.

"What?" Said Judy Leo and Vivian in unison.

"Just answer the question, are you or are you not?" Said Nick.

"Cattholic, I don't see what that has to do with anything though." Said Leo.

"Perfect, I was hoping you would say that, trust me you're gonna love this, follow me, Carrots I'm driving." Said Nick.

"Why? where are we going?" Asked Judy.

"Come on, just believe me this is gonna be great, give me the keys." Said Nick.

Judy tosses the keys to Nick.

"Splendid, now you guys just tag along behind us and we'll be good to go." Said Nick.

They began Making their way back to the cars.

"Now this shouldn't take more than an hour, and it will be well worth everyone's time." Said Nick.

Nick and Judy entered their vehicle after after putting the kids inside.

"Nick, come on, tell me where we're going, What are we doing?" Said Judy.

"I know another guy." Said Nick.

"Okay, _we_ are going to get the kids baptized." Said Nick smugly.

"Wait, Why? You didn't even ask me about this." Said Judy in a displeased tone.

"I'll explain it to you on the way, If you don't agree with the plan we don't have to do it, _but_ , you're gonna like the plan." Said Nick.

A short drive later and Nick and Judy had pulled into the parking lot of a small church on the outskirts of downtown with Leo and Vivian behind them.

At first glance the place looked more like somebody's house more so than it did a church.

"Nick, are you sure this place is still open? It looks a little run down." Said Judy.

"Positive, my dad used to drag me here every week when I was younger, He still shows up here from time to time." Said Nick.

Nick and Judy exited their vehicle, Judy moved towards the back seats to get the children while Nick motioned to Leo and Vivian to head inside.

The interior consisted of a small entry hall leading directly into the sanctuary with a bathroom off to the side.

And seeing as it was the middle of the week the place was empty, with the exclusion of the pastor who was preparing for his next service.

"Nicholas? Is that you?" Said the pastor.

"Yes it is, it's good to see you again." Said Nick.

"and you my boy! How long has it been?" Asked the pastor.

"let's see... it must have been when my mom and dad came to renew their vows, so maybe... three years? Maybe four?" Said Nick.

"Well whatever the case it's wonderful to see you again, Is there something I can help you with today?" Asked the pastor.

"I actually came to ask a favor of you." Said Nick.

"Yes anything, what is it?" Asked the pastor eagerly.

Nick waved Judy Leo and Vivian into the room.

"Oh my, are these friends of yours?" Said the pastor.

"Well actually, this is my wife Judy." Said Nick.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Said Judy.

"these two are friends, this is Leo, And Vivian." Said Nick.

"A pleasure." Said Leo.

"pleased to meet you." Said Vivian.

"And these two little things right here, are my beautiful new children, adopted as of today." Said Nick.

"That's fantastic news! I'm so glad to hear it!" Said the pastor.

"And we were actually here for their baptisms if you would." Said Nick.

"And not to be disrespectful or anything, but if we could do things a little quickly that would be wonderful, Nick and I have to get ready for a trip once we get home." Said Judy

"Of course no problem! I would be happy to! I'll be right back with what we'll need for the sacrament." Said the pastor.

A few moments later the pastor made his way back into the room carrying a small black and silver bottle, capped with a cross.

"Right then, We'll start with the boy, I hereby baptize this child in the name of the lord." Said the pastor flicking water from the bottle onto the boy's forehead.

"That's it? That was not at all what I had anticipated." Said Judy.

"Well you asked things be done quickly, have you had a change of heart?" Said the pastor.

"No, No by all means that was great." Said Judy.

"and now for the girl, I hereby baptize this child in the name of the lord." Said the pastor this time flicking water onto the girl's forehead.

"That settles that, I believe that was everything?" Said the pastor.

"Well actually, There was one other thing, We would also like to assign their godparents." Said Nick turning to Leo and Vivian.

Leo and Vivian were completely floored, having not been informed about the plan, the idea was a shock to them both.

"What?" Said Vivian.

"Well I mean if you're up for it, it'll give you a nice excuse to come and visit, Judy was feeling lousy anyway on the way to city hall, then after what Leo said I came up with a plan." Said Nick.

"Well wouldn't it have just been easier to come and visit anyway? Instead of you guys having to go to the trouble that is." Said Vivian.

"Well we're here now anyway, besides Nick and I probably won't be able to handle everything on our own, you guys are close by and this is just a great opportunity for you guys to stay connected, are you not interested?" Said Judy.

"No, no of course we are, It would be a dream come true for us, Thank you both so much, you've both been so kind through all of this, it means the world I just don't know what to say." Said Vivian in tears.

"You've already said more than enough, it's settled, let's get this show on the road!" Said Nick.

The ceremony had concluded rather quickly, working out well for Nick and Judy to give them time to prepare for their trip.

"Thank you for everything pastor, we appreciate it very much, Goodbye." Said Nick.

"Of course, remember, you are always welcome here and I am always happy to help." Said the pastor.

"So I suppose we'll see you guys sometime after the trip? Safe travels you _four!_ " Said Leo to Nick Judy and the kids.

"Bye bye! We should only be a few days, See you then!" Shouted Judy as Leo and Vivian entered their car.

Nick and Judy entered their car and made their way back to the house.

"We're home now you guys! Your new home!" Said Judy to the kids.

And to no surprise at all the only responses she got were blank stares and baby noises.

"So what's our game plan here? Do your parents have their place child proofed? Is our room set up?" Asked Nick.

"Our plan is to get home get packed and leave in the morning, nothing more nothing less, and my Mom and Dad's house has been perpetually child proofed since before I was born." Replied Judy.

"And what about the last thing? Do they have cribs in our room? Bedtime stories, anything like that?" Asked Nick.

"Well..." Said Judy meekly.

"Well what?" Asked Nick.

"Well they still don't know about the kids." Said Judy

"Are you serious? Have you not told them?" Asked Nick.

"Well I thought it would be a fun surprise like the last one." Said Judy.

"Judy, Honey, As fun as surprises can be, I hardly think getting a save the date in the mail out of nowhere, two weeks before a wedding is very much fun." Said Nick.

"Okay, that may have been poor planning on my part, I just hadn't considered them being able to get the time off for it, or their travel, but this time will be different! We're the ones going out of our way here not them, Besides, anything they don't have that we need we can pick up once we get there." Said Judy.

"Carrots, BunnyBurrow isn't exactly a shopping district, In case you hadn't noticed there's not much around." Said Nick.

"Aha, but that was last time we visited, As it just so happens my Mom and Dad said on MuzzleTime that in the next town over there's a new Walmare now." Said Judy proudly.

"Oh boy, moving up in the world eh?" Said Nick.

"alright well we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow, I'll go put the kids to bed." Said Nick.

"Alright, see you in a bit." Said Judy.

Nick grabbed the kids, got them ready for bed, made his way into the nursery, and set the kids in their cribs.

"I love you two, And I hope you find the place nice because you're gonna be stuck here for a while, Nighty Night sleep tight don't let the bed bugs bite." Said Nick.

Nick gave their mobiles a spin, set on a music box, turned out the light and made his way to the bedroom.

"Nick I'm impressed, I don't even hear any screaming." Said Judy.

"What can I say? I'm a natural." Said Nick.

"Oh yeah, and also the fact that it's been a really long day." Said Judy.

"That may have _possibly_ contributed slightly, but other than that, Natural" Said Nick.

"Good night Nick." Said Judy.

Nick's face took a look of sadness.

"Judy, Can we handle this? I mean, I know it's not always gonna be this easy, and it's a little late now but, what happens when there's something I can'thandle? What happens when there's something _we_ can't handle?" Said Nick worried.

"Nick, we uncovered and stopped a secret plot from a criminal mastermind that threatened and endangered countless animals, I think we can handle a couple of babies." Said Judy.

Nick looked down at the floor still quite sad.

"Alright listen, Do you love them?" Asked Judy.

"More than anything." Said Nick.

"Then all will be well, And we'll do a great job, As long as we all have each other we'll be fine, worse comes to worst we ask my parents for help, they're pros at this point." Said Judy.

Nick Let out a sigh as he laid down in bed.

"I love you so much Judy, Good Night." Said Nick.

"Good night Nick, I love you too." Judy told Nick, hugging him closely.

The next morning was a scramble, Nick and Judy had been awoken by the sounds of crying many _many_ times, but their final cries came all too late as Nick looked at the clock.

"Carrots! The alarm didn't go off!" Said Nick, in a state of dismay.

"Okay okay calm down! Hurry up and get ready, I'll go take care of the kids while you're in the shower, when it's my turn you load up the car." Said Judy.

Nick rushed into the bathroom, while Judy to the nursery, she changed diapers, fed the kids, and darted around the room grabbing things to put in her bag, she was used to all of this, she had managed plenty of practice with all of her siblings and cousins back in BunnyBurrow.

She picked up the kids and headed out into the living room and waited for Nick.

"Finally! it's been like fifteen minutes!" Said Judy loudly.

"Hey you know what, I'd rather get there fifteen minutes later and be clean." Said Nick defensively.

"Okay fine, just take the kids and start moving things." Said Judy.

She handed Nick the kids and ran off to the bathroom.

Nick started packing everything he could think of, If throwing things into suitcases could be considered 'packing'.

Carrying two children and a bag was proving to be quite difficult but there wasn't much time for easy as he hurried to load up the car.

Nick was just moving the last of the bags as he heard Judy get out of the bathroom.

"Okay, do we have everything?" Asked Judy.

"And then some." Said Nick pointing to some bags that wouldn't fit in the car.

"Alright, let's get going." Said Judy energetically, speed walking to the car.

The drive had been far less eventful than everything _leading up_ to the drive, every now and then they would have to stop for bathroom breaks, diaper changes, snacks, and feedings, other than that they made good time.

By the time they had finally arrived in BunnyBurrow it was very nearly sunset and Judy's parents had just headed inside, crops tended, dinner to be eaten.

"Well, we're finally here." Said Nick.

"Home sweet home." Said Judy as they pulled into the driveway.

Judy could see her family's silhouettes moving around through the the light in the windows of the house, making their way towards the front door.

Judy took in a deep breath of the farm air as she stepped out of the vehicle.

"It is _so_ good to be back." Said Judy grinning.

Between work, her and Nick's adoption plans, and generally being way too tired to drive, they hadn't been able to visit very often.

The front door swung open and out came about a quarter of Judy's family, Her parents at the head of the line.

"Judy?! Nick?! What are you guys doing here?!" Shouted Stu.

"We thought we'd just stop by and visit for a few days, Is that alright?" Said Judy.

"Of course! By all means! Come on inside, we were just about to have dinner." Said Bonnie.

"Actually... we have to grab something from the car first..." Said Judy moving towards the back seat and opening the door.

"Well actually, two things." Said Nick opening the car door.

Nick and Judy picked up the kids from out of the car, and as they did they could hear awws and gasps.

"Are those... Children?!" Said Bonnie.

"Well yeah, I thought you'd be familiar with what children looked like by now." Joked Nick.

"And... whose are they?" Asked Bonnie intently.

"Ours." Said Judy.

Bonnie yelped, her and Stu and ran up to Nick and Judy for a hug.

"They're so beautiful, What are their names?" Asked Bonnie.

"Johnathon Nicholas Wilde." Said Nick.

"And Nicole Willow Wilde." Said Judy.

"Well it's about time you brought us grandchildren!" Said Bonnie.


End file.
